User-configurable call answering/redirection mechanism

ABSTRACT

Very flexible call management is achieved by a method for handling a call setup request ( 7 - 10, 7 - 22 , . . . ) from A party (A 1  . . . A 9 ) to a B party ( 511 ). A reachability server (RS) receives ( 7 - 0 ) the B party&#39;s multiple simultaneous caller groups, profiles, redirection settings and associations thereof. Each time the B party&#39;s reachability changes, he indicates his current profile ( 7 - 20, 7 - 40, 7 - 50 ). Based on the call setup request, the server (RS) determines the A party&#39;s identity. Based on the A identity, one of the multiple simultaneous caller groups is determined. Then one of the multiple associations that corresponds to the determined caller group and the current B party is determined. Finally, the call setup request is processed according to the redirection setting of the determined association. The redirection settings may indicate a changed call mode, such as chatting, in case the B party is unable to take a voice call.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to methods and equipment for implementing auser-configurable call answering/redirection mechanism.

For example, in a GSM system, call forwarding to a number 123456 can beimplemented by dialling a character string *21*#123456#. This characterstring, though rather complicated, can only be used for configuring avery simple service: in the above example the call is unconditionallyforwarded to a given fixed number. Special characters delivered from akeypad are very difficult to use for configuring a service such as areachability profile in which a call is during office hours attemptedfirst to an office telephone for 5 seconds, next a mobile phone for 8seconds and if this also fails, the call is transferred to a voice mailservice. Outside office hours the call is first attempted to a hometelephone.

A problem in conventional call answering/redirection mechanism is thusthat unreasonably long character strings have to be entered from theuser interface of a mobile terminal. This takes a lot of time anddemands great precision from the user.

Co-assigned PCT application WO 99/48314 discloses a technique in which aservice configuration routine is installed in a mobile station. Thecontents of said WO 99/48314 are incorporated herein by reference. Theservice configuration routine enables a user to edit pre-existingreachability profiles, instead of keying everything from scratch. Buteven this technique fails to fully support third generation multi-modeuser terminals. As used herein, a multi-mode user terminal means a userterminal that is capable of several modes of communication, such asspeech, short-message service, chat, or the like.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to provide methods and equipmentfor implementing a user-configurable call answering/redirectionmechanism such that the call answering/redirection mechanism isconvenient for the user. The object of the invention is achieved by themethods and equipment which are characterized by what is stated in theindependent claims. The preferred embodiments of the invention aredisclosed in the dependent claims.

An aspect of the invention is a method for processing a call setuprequest from an A party to a B party. The method comprises maintaining,for the B party, multiple simultaneous caller groups, multiplesimultaneous profiles, multiple simultaneous redirection settings, andmultiple simultaneous associations of a caller group, a profile and aredirection setting. Each time the B party wishes to change theirreachability settings (call answering/redirection settings) the B partyindicates a current (reachability) profile. When an A party wishes toplace a call to the B party, the A partys identity is determined. Basedon the A party's identity, a caller group comprising the A party'sidentity is determined. Then an association comprising that caller groupis determined. Finally, the attempted call is processed according to theredirection setting of the identified association.

Another aspect of the invention is a reachability server forimplementing the above method. As used herein, a reachability server issomething that provides a service. The reachability server may be aseparate server or an attachment to pre-existing call processingequipment, such as a mobile switching centre or private branch exchange.Or, the reachability server may be implemented as a software agent inthe user equipment. As a further alternative, the reachability servermay be implemented as a distributed collection of software, such as aclient/server system.

Within the context of this invention, the term “call” is used in a broadsense. The term “call”, in contexts like “call attempt” or “call setuprequest”, should be interpreted to mean any two-way communication,including, but not limited to a voice call, data call, chat connection,limited (or prompted) chat, or the like.

The invention is based on the idea of separating the reachabilityprofile (or simply: profile) from the redirection settings andmaintaining, for each participating user, multiple simultaneous callergroups, multiple simultaneous profiles, multiple simultaneousredirection settings, and multiple simultaneous associations of a callergroup, profile and redirection setting. None of the above data needs tobe changed when the user wishes to change their reachability settings.Assuming that a suitable association of a caller group, profile andredirection setting has been defined earlier, all the user has to do isindicate one of the existing profiles. Because the associations remainunchanged over a long time, the user does not have to change or re-enterthe redirection settings.

As used herein, a caller group means a set or group of potential callers(future A parties) sharing similar redirection settings. A call groupcan comprise one or several members.

A redirection setting is an essential element of the invention. Theredirection setting is a parameter that is used to answer the followingquestion: what to do with a call setup request? The redirection settingindicates one or both of the following: 1) where (and whether) the callis redirected, and 2) which mode the call is changed into. An example ofthe first alternative is a setting which determines that an incomingcall is to be redirected to a different number (or other networkaddress). For example, a redirection setting may indicate that a call isfirst attempted to the B party's user terminal for five seconds, then toa home number for 10 seconds and then to an answering service.Alternatively, a call may be routed to an Internet address, eithertemporarily or during waiting. An example of the second alternative is asetting which determines that the call mode of an incoming call ischanged to chat. In other words, if a voice call cannot be established,a chat connection may be set up instead. Thus the redirection settingmay include a call mode indicator that indicates a changed call mode.For example, the changed call mode may indicate a silent communicationfor one or both of the parties. In this context, “silent communication”means that one or both parties do not speak to a telephone. Silentcommunication can be implemented by chatting or limited chatting.Chatting means typing arbitrary text responses. Limited chatting meansselecting one of a small number of possible responses. For example, thesilent party may select a response from a touch-sensitive screen of theterminal. An even less disturbing implementation of limited chatting iscalled 2-key chatting. 2-key chatting means that the silent party canlisten to the speaking party by means of an earphone but responds byusing a small number (typically 2 or 3) of different keys and/orkeystrokes (single click, double click and/or long press). The silentparty's responses can be converted to speech in a voice synthesizer, sothat the other party can carry out a fairly normal voice call. Such anasymmetric call can be useful if the B party is in a situation in whichit is socially unacceptable to speak to a telephone.

An advantage of the invention is that it is very easy for users tochange their reachability settings, even when there are multiple callergroups, all requiring different reachability settings. Because theprofiles are separated from the redirection settings, the profiles maybe very simple and, in a simple embodiment, only a profile name orindicator is necessary.

It was stated earlier that the invention is preferably implemented byco-operation between the B party's terminal and an element in the fixednetwork. This co-operation is further improved by setting the alarm ofthe B party's terminal automatically to silent/vibrating if the currentprofile of the B party indicates silent communication.

Preferably, the profiles comprise presence information and/orinstructions which is/are returned to the A party. For example, thepresence information/instructions may indicate “I am in a meeting,please dial 1 if you wish to leave a message, or, dial 2 if you haveurgent business; I can reply by chatting”.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following the invention will be described in greater detail bymeans of preferred embodiments with reference to the attached drawings,in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates user records and caller groups;

FIG. 2 illustrates reachability profiles;

FIG. 3 illustrates redirection settings;

FIG. 4 illustrates associations of caller groups, reachability profilesand redirection settings;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a network architecture forimplementing the invention;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a reachabilityserver;

FIG. 7 is a signalling diagram illustrating a possible set of eventswhile using a call answering/redirection mechanism according to theinvention;

FIG. 8 is a more detailed signalling diagram illustrating an asymmetriccall in which one party communicates by speech and the other bychatting;

FIG. 9 shows an alternative network architecture in which thereachability server RS is located in a network other than the accessnetwork;

FIG. 10 illustrates the use of virtual numbers in a system in which thereachability server is not in the access network; and

FIG. 11 illustrates call routing in a system in which the reachabilityserver is implemented in the B party's terminal.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Within this detailed description, the name “Bill” refers to the terminaluser whose incoming calls will be processed according to the invention.The reason for this name is that Bill will be acting the called or Bparty during a call, and “Bill” begins with a B. However, he may be an A(originating) party when he changes his reachability settings via aremote reachability server (or when he makes other outgoing calls) andhe is not a party to any call when he changes settings only within histerminal.

FIG. 1 illustrates Bill's address book 10 and caller groups 13. Theaddress book 10 is basically similar to the address book stored in a SIMcard that is attached to a GSM mobile telephone. The address bookcontains a record for each of Bill's contacts (persons or companies).Each record comprises a name field 11 and a number (or address) field12. The name field 11 contains a free-format name, as is well known fromconventional GSM telephones. The number/address field 12 may contain aconventional telephone number or any usable network address, such as anMSISDN number, TCP/IP address, e-mail address or the like.

Reference numeral 13 generally denotes Bill's caller groups. In thisexample, a caller group “Family” consists of the records for Alice, Boband Cecilia. Another caller group “Colleagues” consists of the recordsfor Dave L, Eric M and Frank W. The third caller group “Secretary” onlycomprises Bill's secretary Gail T. The fourth caller group “Friends”comprises Harry P and Ian R. The four first caller groups are formedexplicitly, such that Bill explicitly adds records 10 (potentialcallers) to one of the caller groups 13.

In addition to explicit caller groups, there may be implicit callergroups, two of which are shown in FIG. 1. In this example, a firstimplicit caller group “others” comprises all the records 10 in theterminal's address book that do not belong in any of the explicit callergroups. As soon as a record 10 is added to one of the explicit callergroups, that record is removed from the “Others” group. The caller group“Others” may be used to indicate how to process calls from persons thatare listed in Bill's address book 10 but do not belong in any of theexplicit caller groups. Another implicit caller group “Unknown”comprises persons that are not stored in Bill's address book. The callergroup “Unknown” may be used to indicate how to process calls frompersons that are not known to the called party.

As regards the association of the records 10 and caller groups 13, whatreally matters to the reachability server/service is the association ofa number/address field 12 and a caller group 13. This is because thereachability server detects the caller's identity based on the caller'snumber (or other network address) 12. For the reachability server (andcall processing in general), the name 11 is irrelevant. From Bill'spoint of view, however, it is much more convenient to associate a callergroup 13 to a name 11 than to a number 12.

FIG. 2 illustrates reachability profiles 20. Each reachability profile20 comprises at least a label (or identifier) field 21. According to apreferred embodiment of the invention, a reachability profile 20 mayalso comprise a free-format presence information 22. For example, thereachability profile “Meeting” comprises a presence information field 22whose contents is “I am in a meeting . . . ” This presence informationmay be returned to a caller if the called party cannot answer calls.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, areachability profile 20 may also comprise a default redirection settingfield 23. The use of redirection settings will be explained inconnection with FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 illustrates Bill's redirection settings 30. Each redirectionsettings record consists of a label (or identifier) field 31 and anactual redirection setting field 32. The label/identifier field 31 ispreferably a free-format field, whereby Bill can enter short butdescriptive names. From the point of view of the reachability server,however, any identifier is usable. The first redirection settings record301 has a label field 31 of “OfficeFirst” and a redirection settingfield 32 of “5sOffice# /5sMobile# / Answer#”. Herein, “Office#” standsfor Bill's office telephone number, Mobile# stands for his mobileterminal number and Answer# stands for the number of the answeringservice (voice mail). The redirection setting field 32 of “5sOffice# /5sMobile# / Answer#” is interpreted so that a call to the office numberis attempted first for five seconds, then the mobile terminal's numberis attempted for another five seconds, and if that fails too, the callis redirected to the answering service. The next two records 302 and 303are self-explanatory based on the previous example. The fourthredirection settings record 304 means that an incoming call will beredirected to the telephone of Bill's secretary. Records 305 and 306indicate that a caller is redirected to URL addresses www.addr1.fi andwww.addr2.fi, respectively. For instance, www.addr1.fi may be theaddress of a web page informing that the terminal user is unable toreceive calls, and www.addr2.fi may be the address of a more informativeweb page for more trusted callers.

Instead of a different number or network address, or in addition to it,the redirection setting field 32 may indicate a change of call mode. Forinstance, Bill may be in a library in which it is socially unacceptableto speak to the telephone but Bill may be able to chat via thetelephone's keyboard or keypad. According to a further preferredembodiment, the call mode is processed separately for each half-call ordirection of call, that is, for the incoming and outgoing directions.For instance, when eating in the restaurant, Bill may not be able tospeak to the telephone but may be able to listen to the caller's voiceand respond via a chat connection.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, the “>” and “<” signs mean change ofcall mode in the incoming and outgoing directions, respectively. Forinstance, redirection settings record 307, labelled “Chat”, has aredirection setting of “>Chat<Chat” which means that both the incomingand outgoing half-calls are converted to chat mode. The next record 308,labelled “Voice/Chat”, has a redirection setting of “<Chat” which meansthat only the outgoing half-call is converted to chat mode.

The last record 309, labelled “Voice/2KeyChat”, has a redirectionsetting of “<2KeyChat” which means that the outgoing half-call isconverted to 2-key chat mode. The 2-key chat mode in the outgoingdirection means that the mobile terminal user is able to listen to thecaller's voice but is only able to respond with a very small number ofkeys, such as two or three. The two keys can be “yes” and “no”. Anoptional third key may mean “I don't know/understand”. The 2- (or 3-)key chat mode is useful in a situation where even conventional chattingis impossible. For instance, Bill may be in a concert, and calls frommost caller groups are redirected to voice mail but calls from ababysitter are converted to 2-key chat mode. The babysitter, who may befacing an urgent problem, calls Bill. The alarm of Bill's terminal isset to silent but vibrating. As soon as Bill feels the vibrating alarm,he can place an earphone to his ear and take the call. The babysittermay then describe the situation and ask questions that can be answeredby “yes” and “no” keys which Bill can memorize and use without takingthe terminal out of his trouser pocket.

As an alternative to the two or three different keys, differentkeystrokes can be used. For example, a short key click means “yes”, along key press means “no” and two clicks means “I don'tknow/understand”. For example, two different keys and three differentkeystrokes give a total of six combinations.

FIG. 4 illustrates associations 40 of (reachability) profiles 41, callergroups 42 and redirection settings 43. The first association 401associates profile “Work” and caller group “Family” with redirectionsetting “OfficeFirst”. This means that whenever profile “Work” is Bill'scurrent profile, calls from members of the “Family” group are processedaccording to redirection setting “OfficeFirst”. This redirection settingwas described as record 301 in FIG. 3. In the example shown in FIG. 4,there are six associations, namely 401 to 406, for the profile “Work”.Associations 401 to 403 specify that calls from members of the “Family”,“Colleague” and “Secretary” groups are processed according toredirection setting “OfficeFirst”, while calls from “Friends”, “Others”and “Unknown” groups are processed according to redirection setting“Secretary”, which means that the call is routed to Bill's secretary.

The example shown in FIG. 4 does not have an association for eachcombination of profile, caller group and redirection setting. This isbecause this example makes use of the (optional) default redirectionsetting field 23 shown in FIG. 2. For instance, the profile “Abroad” hasa default redirection setting of “MobileFirst” which is used unless anoverriding association for some caller groups have been specified. FIG.4 shows an association 431 of profile “Abroad”, caller group “Unknown”and redirection setting “VoiceMail”. This means that when Bill isabroad, he does not wish to take calls from unknown callers because hewould have to pay for those calls. Accordingly, calls from unknowncallers are routed to voice mail.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a network architecture forimplementing the invention. Reference numeral 511 denotes Bill's mobileterminal. It is connected to an access network AN. The access network ANcan use any network technology capable of processing calls, includingbut not limited to GSM, UMTS or WLAN with VoIP. The access network ANhas base stations BS to provide a radio interface to user terminals 501,511. One or more switching elements SW route calls, via different basestations, to different terminals. For example, in a GSM network, theswitching elements are mobile services switching centres (MSC). A HomeLocation Register HLR stores subscriber data. An answering server ASprovides voice mail services when Bill is unable to receive calls.

The access network AN is connected to other networks via gatewayelements GW1 and GW2. In this example, the other networks are a PublicSwitched Telephone Network PSTN and a data network DN, such as theInternet and/or its closed subnetworks, commonly called intranets orextranets. The PSTN comprises an exchange, for routing calls. In thisexample, Bill's office has a private branch exchange PBX to which Bill'stelephone 512 and his secretary's telephone 521 are connected. A thirdtelephone 502 represents other potential callers via the PSTN. Bill'soffice computer 531 is connected to the data network DN via an Internetservice provider ISP and a router R.

The elements of FIG. 5 described above are or can be entirelyconventional. In addition to the conventional elements, the networkarchitecture comprises a reachability service function that implementsthe method according to the invention. In the example shown in FIG. 5,the reachability service function is implemented as a reachabilityserver RS that is closely coupled to the switching element SW. Thereachability server RS comprises or is connected to a database DB thatstores the caller lists, profiles, redirection settings and theassociations between them.

It should be understood that the placement of the reachability server RSin the access network is only an exemplary embodiment, and the RS can beplaced in the data network DN. The optimal implementation of the RSdepends on the service provider. If the access network operator providesthe reachability service, the reachability server RS is preferablylocated in the access network AN. On the other hand, if reachabilityservice is provided by an operator distinct from the AN operator, thereachability server RS is preferably located in the data network DN.

Instead of a centralized reachability server RS, or in addition to it,there may distributed reachability servers RS' in advanced terminals,wherein each terminal-based reachability server RS' serves a singleuser. An advantage of a terminal-based reachability server RS' is thatits operation is largely independent of the current access network. Inother words, its services are available even if Bill is roaming abroad.On the other hand, a centralized reachability server RS installed in oneof the networks is available when the terminal is disconnected from thenetwork.

Thus an optimal implementation of the reachability service is achievedby a combination of a centralized reachability server RS and aterminal-based reachability server RS′. For example, terminals capableof multimedia operations have sufficient memory for acting as a voicemail box (answering service). An advantage of a voice mail box in aterminal is that the terminal can inform the caller that the call cannotbe answered and store a voice message from the caller, withoutdisturbing people near the terminal. A terminal-provided voice mail boxis independent from the current access network operator. Such aterminal-based implementation will be further described in connectionwith FIG. 11.

According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, thearrangement comprises one or more servers to provide additional servicesto a caller when the called party is having another call or is unable totake the call. In this example, one server SRV is installed in Bill'soffice and is connected to the office router R. It is common practice toplay music to a caller when the called party is having another call orthe switchboard is congested. The invention can be used to provide moreadvanced services to a waiting caller. For example, the server SRV mayprovide information in the form of URL addresses ULR1 and URL2, etc. Or,the server may show a video to the caller or allow the caller to playgames, assuming that the caller is using a multimedia-enabled terminal.

According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention, thereachability server RS comprises or cooperates with a mode conversionfunction. An example of such a function is shown as a distinct modeconverter MC. The mode conversion function helps to convert calls fromone mode to another. For instance, it was stated earlier that a chatconnection can be established if the called party cannot talk to atelephone. But then the calling party may be in a situation wherechatting is impossible. To solve this problem, the mode converter MC (oran equivalent function in the terminal) comprises a speech synthesizerand/or recognition equipment. For instance, assume that Alice is callingBill, and Alice cannot chat and Bill cannot talk. In such a situation,the call mode may be changed to voice/chat which means that Alice'sspeech is conveyed as such to Bill but Bill's chat response is convertedto synthesized speech and conveyed to Alice.

Preferably, the reachability server RS and the mode converter MC (orequivalent functions in other network elements) support as many aspossible from the following redirections and mode changes:

-   -   1. redirection to another telephone;    -   2. redirection to voice mail;    -   3. timed redirection to another telephone/voice mail (e.g. five        seconds to office phone, 5 seconds to mobile phone, then to        voice mail;    -   4. sending the caller a data message, such as a short message or        an MMS (Multimedia Messaging Specification) message, or a        partial or whole web page;    -   5. sending the caller a network address, such as a URL,        preferably formatted as a link, wherein the network address        containing more detailed information;    -   6. conversion of incoming and/or outgoing call to chat or        limited chat (e.g. 2-key chat);    -   7. conversion of incoming and/or outgoing voice to text or vice        versa;    -   8. providing additional services (music, video, games . . . )        during waiting;    -   9. personalized voice answering in the answer service        (network-based or terminal based); that is, the voice        information depends on A's caller group and B's current profile;

Option 6 is implemented without text-to-speech or speech-to-textconversion. That is, if B can only chat but not talk, then a chatconnection is established in at least one direction. For instance, A cantalk to B but B will type his responses. Alternatively, both parties canresort to chatting. Option 7 requires text-to-speech or speech-to-textconversion. For instance, A can talk and B's typed responses areconverted to speech.

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a reachabilityserver. In step 601, the reachability server receives and stores intomemory Bill's caller lists 10 (of which only field 12 is essential) andcaller groups 13 (see FIG. 1), his profiles 20 (see FIG. 2), redirectionsettings 30 (see FIG. 3) and associations 40 of the above three types ofdata (see FIG. 4). Step 601 can take place in one go or in a distributedmanner. In other words, Bill can indicate the settings 10, 13, 20, 30and 40 during one session, or he may update previous settings.

Dashed lines 602 and 605 denote occasions in which the reachabilityserver waits for more actions from Bill or a caller, respectively. Instep 603, Bill's reachability settings change and he updates his currentprofile in the reachability server. In other words, he indicates acurrent one of the pre-existing profiles stored in the reachabilityserver. For instance, if Bill is about to enter an airplane, he selects“Flight” as his current profile.

The remaining steps 611 to 618 relate to processing of one call. In step611, the reachability server detects a call to Bill from an A user. Instep 612, the reachability server retrieves Bill's current profile. Instep 613, the reachability server determines the A user's identity. Forexample, the A user can be identified by means of a Calling LineIndicator (CLI). In step 614, the reachability server determines the Auser's caller group, that is, the caller group 13 corresponding to the Auser's identity 11. In step 615, the reachability server attempts toretrieve the redirection settings record 40 corresponding to the Auser's caller group 13 and Bill's current profile 20. In step 616, it ischecked if such a redirection settings record could be determined, whichmeans that there was an association corresponding to the A user'sidentity and Bill's current profile. If yes, the process continues tostep 618 in which the call is processed according to the redirectionsettings.

According to a preferred embodiment, if the check in step 616 failed,the process continues to step 617 in which it is checked if Bill'scurrent profile indicates a default redirection setting. For instance,each of the profiles “Theatre”, “Flight” and “Abroad” in FIG. 2 doindicate a default redirection setting. If Bill's current profileindicates a default redirection setting, the process again continues tostep 618 in which the call is processed according to the (default)redirection settings.

If checks 616 and 617 both fail, the process continues to step 619 inwhich the call is processed normally (no redirection or mode change).

FIG. 7 is a signalling diagram illustrating a possible set of events ina call answering/redirection mechanism according to the invention. Theelements SW, RS, DB, AS, CM and SRV have been described in connectionwith FIG. 5, but in FIG. 7, the reachability server RS and its databaseDB are integrated with the switching element SW, and the combination isdenoted by SW/RS/DB. Reference signs A1, A2, etc. denote differentcallers (A parties). Similar to FIG. 5, reference numbers 511, 512 and521 denote Bill's mobile and office phones and his secretary's phone,respectively.

Unless stated otherwise, we will assume that Bill's caller groups,profiles, redirection settings and associations are as shown in FIGS. 1,2, 3 and 4, respectively. In step 7-0, Bill configures his reachabilityservice. In other words, he sends the reachability server RS his callergroups, profiles, redirection settings and associations. This step cantake place from Bill's mobile terminal 511 or from his office computer531. We will further assume that before 8:30 am, the redirection setting“MobileFirst” (item 302 in FIG. 3) is in force for all callers.

In step 7-10, it is 8:15 am and Bill is in his car, when a first callerA1 calls. Because the “MobileFirst” setting is in force for all callers,the call is directed normally to Bill's mobile phone 511. In FIG. 7, thewhite rectangles to the right and below each call indicate the durationof the call in question.

In step 7-20, Bill arrives in his office and selects the “Work” profile(see items 401 to 406 in FIG. 4). Technically, his terminal only has tosend the reachability server RS an indicator of the “Work” profile.Alternatively, the reachability server could automatically select the“Work” profile after a preconfigured time, such as 8:30 am. In step7-22, a second caller A2 calls. Based on the caller line identification(CLI), the SW/RS elements detect that the second caller A2 belongs tocaller group “Friends”. As shown by item 404 in FIG. 4, the “Friends”group and “Work” profile are associated with redirection setting“Secretary”. Accordingly, the call from the second caller A2 isredirected to secretary's telephone 521. (Naturally, the secretary maythen transfer the call to Bill, but this is conventional call managementand needs no explanation.) In step 7-24, Bill's secretary, shown here asA3, calls Bill. As shown by item 403 in FIG. 4, the “Secretary” groupand “Work” profile are associated with redirection setting“OfficeFirst”. Accordingly, the secretary's call is redirected to Bill'soffice telephone 512. During the secretary's call, in step 7-26, aclient A4 tries to call Bill. In addition to the settings shown in FIGS.1 to 4, we assume that the redirection setting for clients indicatesthat the caller is directed to the server SRV for providing the clientwith information or entertainment, which takes place in step 7-28. Instep 7-30, the secretary's call ends and the clients call is directed toBills office telephone 512.

In step 740, Bill changes his profile to “Meeting” (items 411 to 415 inFIG. 4). In step 742, a fifth caller A5 tries to call Bill. The fifthcaller A5 is either a total stranger to Bill's caller lists or does notbelong to any of his caller groups. Accordingly, this call is routed tothe answer service AS. In step 7-44, one of Bill's family members A6tries to call him. As shown by item 411, the Meeting/Family combinationis associated with a redirection setting of “Chat”. Accordingly, in step745, the RS/SW elements establish a chat connection between A6 andBill's mobile phone 511. In step 746, Bill's secretary, shown here asA7, calls Bill. As indicated by item 413, the secretary's call isprocessed according to settings “OfficeFirst”, and the call is directedto Bill's mobile phone 511 in step 747.

In the evening, Bill changes his profile to “Theatre” in step 7-50.Preferably, the alarm of Bill's mobile phone 511 is automatically set to“silent but vibrating”. In step 7-52 a member A8 of the “Friends” grouptries to call Bill. As shown by item 204 in FIG. 2, the “Theatre”profile has a default redirection setting “VoiceMail”. Accordingly, thecall from A8 is routed to the answer service AS. In step 7-54, a familymember A9 calls Bill. As shown by item 421, the Theatre/Familycombination is associated with a redirection setting of“Voice/2KeyChat”. This redirection setting is processed according toitem 309 in FIG. 3, and an asymmetrical connection is establishedbetween the family member A9 and Bill's mobile phone 511. Bill isalerted by the vibrating alarm. In step 7-54, the family member A9 cantalk and Bill can hear the incoming call with an earphone. Bill cannotrespond by talking, and he cannot even take the phone out of his pocket,but, as shown by step 7-56, he can respond by “yes” and “no” keys whoselocations he can memorize. (Alternatively, a single key and two or threedifferent keystrokes can be used.) In step 7-57, his two- or three-keyresponses are converted to speech by a speech synthesizer in the modeconverter MC. The connection between A9 and Bill will be shown in moredetail in FIG. 8.

In FIG. 7, the emphasis was on the users' view of the call routing, andsome signalling between the network elements was omitted for clarity.FIG. 8 is a more detailed signalling diagram illustrating theco-operation between the various network elements. FIG. 8 shows thedetailed steps to achieve the last call, shown as steps 7-54 to 7-57 inFIG. 7. This is an asymmetric call in which the calling party Acommunicates by speech and the called party B responds by chatting.

In step 8-0, the calling terminal A sends a call setup signal whichproceeds to the switching element SW. In step 8-2, the switching elementSW makes an inquiry to the reachability server RS (which in turn makesan inquiry to its database DB) concerning the current redirectionsetting for the calling party (see steps 611 to 615 in FIG. 6). In step8-4, the reachability server RS returns the current redirection settingsto the switching element SW. The switching element SW now knows that thecurrent redirection setting is “Voice/2-key chat”. In step 8-6, theswitching element SW conveys the call setup signal to the called partyB. In step 8-8, the B party responds. Now the switching element SW knowsthat the B party is able to take the call. The B party is able to takethe call in a theatre because the terminal's alarm is set tosilent/vibrating. In this example, we assume that the mode converter MCcomprises a voice synthesizer. (Actually, this example needs only a fewvoice messages of fixed content, and the voice messages can bepre-recorded instead of synthesized.) In step 8-10, the switchingelement SW requests the mode converter MC to read instructions to thecalling party A. In step 8-12, the mode converter MC reads a voiceannouncement that tells the caller A that B can hear A's voice but canonly respond by “yes” or “no” (and possibly by “I don't understand”).The voice announcement is preferably read to the B party. Otherwise, Bcould be confused because he does not hear A's voice while A listens tothe voice announcement. In step 8-14, A speaks to B. A's speech isconveyed normally to B who hears it via an earphone. In step 8-16, Bresponds by selecting one of the few possible responses, such as “yes”.In step 8-18, the mode converter MC converts B's response to synthesized(or pre-recorded) speech. Steps 8-14 to 8-18 are repeated as many timesas necessary.

In the example shown in FIG. 8, the mode converter MC performstext-to-speech conversion. If the mode converter MC comprises aspeech-recognition apparatus, it is also possible to performspeech-to-text conversion. This means, for example, that the parties canhave a two-way communication in which one party speaks and listens whilethe other party communicates by chatting. Naturally, currentspeech-to-text conversion is not yet mature enough to support continuousspeech from an arbitrary caller in arbitrary surroundings, butspeech-to-text conversion is possible with limited vocabulary and smallpauses between words.

FURTHER/ALTERNATIVE EMBODIMENTS

In the examples described so far, the reachability server RS (with itsassociated database) was shown as a distinct network element in thefixed network. Instead of such a distinct network element, thereachability server may be implemented as a software agent in the userequipment. As a further alternative, the reachability server may beimplemented as a distributed collection of software, such as aclient/server system. A preferred implementation is a co-operationbetween a fixed reachability server and a terminal-based one. Theterminal-based server is independent of the current network operator,while the network-based server is operational when the terminal is shutoff or out of network coverage, or employs in-flight settings or thelike. The settings in the fixed and terminal-based servers should besynchronized whenever one or more of the settings change.

Also, the examples described above were based on the assumption thateach person can belong to one caller group only. For instance, if aperson is in a “Company” group, he/she cannot be in a “Family” group.Call processing can be even more flexible if persons can belong tomultiple groups simultaneously. For example, Bill's wife could belong tothe “Family” group and “Wife” group. In this way, Bill can easily setdifferent settings for his wife in extraordinary situations, while callsis most situations are processed according to the settings of the“Family” group.

If the caller belongs to multiple groups, a natural question is: whichgroup's settings will be used? One way to answer this question is to setexplicit priorities for the groups. For example, the settings of thehigher-priority group are used, if they exist. Otherwise, the settingsof the lower-priority group are used. Alternatively, the call modes orredirection settings can be ranked. This means that a normal call to thenumber selected by the caller has the highest ranking. If Bill's wifebelongs to the “Wife” and “Family” groups, and the “Wife” group allows anormal call and the “Family” groups indicates redirection to voice mail,the higher-ranking normal call will be established.

FIG. 9 shows an alternative network architecture in which thereachability server RS, along with its associated elements modeconverter MC, answering server AS and database DB, are located in anetwork 901 that is not the access network AN serving the B user (Billin the previous examples). For example, the network 901 may be anintelligent network; a data network, such as the Internet or the PublicSwitched Telephone Network PSTN. As regards this embodiment, the type ofthe network 901 it is not essential. For example, the reachabilityservice according to the invention may be offered by an independentservice operator that does not have access to all the facilities of theswitching element SW. Regardless of the type of the network 901, if thenetwork 901 is not the access network AN serving the B user, there is aresidual problem of conveying the B party's identity to the reachabilityserver RS. There are at least two ways to solve that residual problem.

One way to convey the B party's identity to the reachability server RSis to modify the signalling between the switching element SW and thereachability server RS. For example, a call setup signal to thereachability server RS may include the B party's identity as anadditional parameter.

Another way to convey'the B party's identity to the reachability serverRS is to use virtual numbers. If this technique is used, each potentialB party must register with the reachability server RS. The RS has aportion of the number space of the SW, the portion being large enough toaccommodate all potential B parties served by the reachability serverRS. For each potential B party, a virtual number is allocated from thatportion. When the reachability service for a given B party is activated,that B party's calls are directed from the switching element to thevirtual number within the. reachability server RS. Based on the virtualnumber, the reachability server RS knows the B party's identity.

FIG. 10 illustrates the use of virtual numbers in a system in which thereachability server is not in the access network. In step 10-0, the Bparty sends his configuration information, that is, his caller groups,profiles, redirection settings and associations. In step 10-2, the Bparty sends his current profile information. The configurationinformation and the current profile information are routed via theaccess network's switching element SW to the reachability server RS inwhich they are stored in the database DB. In step 10-4, an A partyplaces a call to the B party. The call setup request is conveyed to theswitching element SW that checks in step 10-6 if the B party hasactivated the reachability service, that is, the callredirection/answering service according to the invention. If the serviceis not activated, the switching element SW routes the callconventionally, but this is not shown in FIG. 10. We assume that theservice is activated, and the switching element SW retrieves the virtualnumber of the B party. In step 10-8, the switching element SW routes thecall to the B party's virtual number that is allocated from the portionof the number space allocated to the reachability server RS.Accordingly, the call is routed to the reachability server RS. In step10-10, the reachability server RS identifies the A and B parties. A canbe identified on the basis of the calling line indicator (CLI). B isidentified on the basis of his unique virtual number. Next, thereachability server RS retrieves B's current profile, determines theassociation that matches A and the current profile, and determines theredirection settings of that association. We assume that in this case,the call is to be routed to a C party. Thus in step 10-12, thereachability server RS routes the call to the C party, and in step10-14, the call setup signalling is redirected from the switchingelement to the C party. All the different redirection options and modechanges described earlier are also possible if the reachability serverRS is in a network other than the access network, but interoperationbetween the reachability server RS and the switching element SW isslightly more complex because conventional call setup signalling losesthe true B party's identity information if the switching element SWmerely routes all calls to the reachability server RS. This is why thereis a unique virtual number allocated to each registered user (potentialB party to an incoming call).

FIG. 11 illustrates call routing in a system in which the reachabilityserver RS′ (see FIG. 5) is implemented in the B party's terminal. Such aterminal-based reachability service is practical in a situation in whichthe terminal is out of its home network or if the home network operatordoes not offer such services. It was stated earlier thatmultimedia-enabled terminals can act as answering machines if suitablyprogrammed. What is more difficult is to have a terminal route calls toanother number. FIG. 11 illustrates one solution to this problem. Thissolution is based on a conference call in which the B user (the person)does not participate in the call. In step 11-0, the B user configuresthe reachability service. In step 11-2, he selects a current profile. Aswas explained in connection with the previous examples, theconfiguration information changes rarely, whereas the current profile ischanged each time the B user's reachability status changes. In step11-4, B's terminal receives a call from an A party. The call setupsignalling is conveyed via the switching element SW, but this part ofthe call setup is entirely conventional. In step 11-6, the reachabilityserver RS′, which may be a software agent in the B user's terminal,identifies the A user, determines the association that matches A and thecurrent profile, and determines the redirection settings of thatassociation. We assume that in this case, the call is to be routed to aC party. In other words, the B terminal must route the call to C. Suchterminal-based call routing can be accomplished, without any proprietarysignalling, by setting up a conference call. Prior to call routing, instep 11-8, the B terminal may send a voice message to the A party,informing him that the B user cannot take the call and the call is beingrouted to another number. In step 11-10, the B terminal, under controlof the server RS′, put the incoming call on hold. In step 11-12, the Bterminal requests the switching element SW to set up a conference callwith C. In step 11-14, the conference call is set up. In step 11-16, theB terminal combines the incoming call from the A party with theconference call to the C party. After connecting the A party with the Cparty, the B terminal could hang up, although some networks do not allowthe originating party of the conference call to hang up. In step 11-18,the A and C parties continue the conference call. As a furtheralternative, the B terminal can record the conversation between the Aand C parties.

If the reachability service according to the invention is implementedboth in the fixed network (the access network AN or some other network)and in the terminal, the configuration and profile information betweenthem should be synchronized. Such synchronization can take placeperiodically or whenever the settings change or when the terminal isabout to lose network coverage or has just entered network coverage.

An advantage of the invention is that the terminal user has to send thereachability server only one piece of information, namely an indicatorof the current profile, whenever the reachability conditions change. Thecaller groups, profiles and redirection/call mode settings arepre-stored and are changed much less often. Because the caller groups,profiles and redirection/call mode settings are pre-stored at thereachability server (or are otherwise accessible by it), call processingis much more flexible than in a system which only supports a singleredirection setting to all callers.

It is readily apparent to a person skilled in the art that, as thetechnology advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in variousways. The invention and its embodiments are not limited to the examplesdescribed above but may vary within the scope of the claims.

Acronyms (some are not official)

-   CLI: Calling Line Indicator-   GSM: Global System for Mobile Communication-   ISP: Internet service provider-   MMS: Multimedia Messaging Service (Specification)-   MSISDN: Mobile Subscriber Integrated Services Data Network-   PBX: private branch exchange-   PSTN: Public Switched Telephone Network-   SIM: Subscriber Identity Module-   TCP/IP: Transport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol-   UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System-   URL: Uniform Resource Locator-   VoIP: Voice over Internet Protocol

1. A method for handling a call setup request from a calling party to acalled party, the method comprising: maintaining, for the called party,multiple simultaneous caller groups, each caller group comprising one ormore members, multiple simultaneous profiles, multiple simultaneousredirection settings, and multiple simultaneous associations of a callergroup, a profile and a redirection setting; for each of several changesof reachability of the called party, receiving an indication of acurrent profile of the called party; based on the call setup request,determining the identity of the calling party; based on the determinedidentity of the calling, determining one of the multiple simultaneouscaller groups; determining one of the multiple associations thatcorresponds to the determined caller group and the current profile ofthe called party; processing the call setup request according to theredirection setting of the determined association.
 2. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising maintaining the multiplesimultaneous caller groups, profiles, redirection settings andassociations and processing the call setup request in a fixed networkelement.
 3. The method according to claim 1, further comprisingmaintaining the multiple simultaneous caller groups, profiles,redirection settings and associations and processing the call setuprequest in a terminal of the called party.
 4. The method according toclaim 1, further comprising maintaining the multiple simultaneous callergroups, profiles, redirection settings and associations both in a fixednetwork element and in a terminal of the called party.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 2, wherein the fixed network element is in an accessnetwork serving the called party.
 6. The method according to claim 2,wherein the fixed network element is in a network other than the accessnetwork serving the called party.
 7. The method according to claim 6,further comprising: assigning a unique virtual number to the calledparty; routing the call setup request to the virtual number of thecalled party; determining the called party's identity based on thevirtual number.
 8. The method according to claim 3, further comprisingrouting a call to a third party by setting up a conference call betweenthe calling party and the third party.
 9. The method according to claim1, wherein the redirection setting indicates that an incoming call is tobe routed to a different number or network address.
 10. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the redirection setting indicates achanged call mode, and the method comprises processing the call setuprequest according to the changed call mode.
 11. The method according toclaim 10, wherein the changed call mode indicates an asymmetric call inwhich the calling party and called party use different call modes. 12.The method according to claim 10, wherein the changed call mode is asilent communication for at least one of the calling party or the calledparty.
 13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the silentcommunication is chatting.
 14. The method according to claim 12, whereinthe silent communication is limited chatting.
 15. The method accordingto claim 11, wherein the method comprises voice-to-text conversionand/or text-to-voice conversion.
 16. The method according to claim 12,wherein if the current profile of the called party indicates silentcommunication for the called party, the called party's terminal isautomatically set to silent.
 17. The method according to claim 1,wherein the profile comprises presence information which is returned tothe calling party.
 18. A The method according to claim 1, whereindetermining one of the multiple simultaneous caller groups comprisesdetermining all caller groups which the calling party belongs to, andselecting one of the determined caller groups.
 19. A reachability serverfor handling a call setup request from an calling party to a calledparty, the reachability server comprising: a database for maintaining,for the called party, multiple simultaneous caller groups, each callergroup comprising one or more members, multiple simultaneous profiles,multiple simultaneous redirection settings, and multiple simultaneousassociations of a caller group, a profile and a redirection setting;input unit configured to receive an indication of a current profile ofthe called party each time the reachability of the called party changes;a caller identifying unit configured to determine an identity of callingparty based on the call setup request; a caller group determining unitconfigured to determine one of the multiple simultaneous caller groupsbased on the determined identity of the calling party; an associationsdetermining unit configured to determined one of the multipleassociations that corresponds to the determined caller group and thecurrent profile of the called party; and a call processing unitconfigured to process the call setup request according to theredirection setting of the determined association.
 20. The reachabilityserver according to claim 19, wherein the reachability server is locatedin an element of a fixed network.
 21. The reachability server accordingto claim 19, wherein the reachability server is located in a terminal ofthe called party.
 22. A reachability server for handling a call setuprequest from an calling party to a called party, the reachability servercomprising: a database for maintaining, for the called party, multiplesimultaneous caller groups, each caller group comprising one or moremembers, multiple simultaneous profiles, multiple simultaneousredirection settings, and multiple simultaneous associations of a callergroup, a profile and a redirection setting; input means for receiving anindication of a current profile of the called party each time thereachability of the called party changes; caller identifying means fordetermining the an identity of the calling party based on the call setuprequest; caller group determining means for determining one of themultiple simultaneous caller groups based on the determined identity ofthe calling party; associations determining means for determining one ofthe multiple associations that corresponds to the determined callergroup and the current profile of the called party; and call processingmeans for processing the call setup request according to the redirectionsetting of the determined association.